The Material Cannibalism of Leonard Drew

Leonard Drew engages in something that has been termed ‘material cannibalism.’ That sounds a lot worse than it actually is, because Drew is an American sculptor who brings together artifacts and fossils from antiquity, as well as more modern times, that he finds in nature, as well as industrialized places – before turning them into art. Naturally, the material elements are open to nature, and what happens to them once Drew has started working on them is not entirely within his own hands. They change, age, mature and so on. As he admits, occasionally it is down the materials themselves to tell him when a piece is ‘ready.’ In the past, Drew has worked with dead animals, and is no stranger to controversy. Recently, he took part in an exhibition at Rosenfeld Porcini. Drew cites abstract artists Jackson Pollock and Piet Mondrian as big inspirations.